Eisenhower GC targets spring 2021 reopening

Under the guidance of architect Andrew Green, Eisenhower Golf Course just outside Annapolis, Maryland is now scheduled to complete its major course renovation in spring 2021.

The $5 million project covers a complete overhaul of the 52-year-old public-access facility, highlighted by the removal of all bunkers on the 18-hole course for greater sustainability. The redesign was initially slated for a 2020 reveal, but construction is requiring additional time. In lieu of reopening in frigid temperatures, the extra time will allow the layout to mature for impeccable spring playing conditions.

“The creative eye of Andrew Green and attention to detail from our onsite team have been inspiring from the start,” said Damian Cosby, chief of golf operations for Anne Arundel County and owner of Eisenhower Golf Course. “For all the resources committed, pushing back the opening aligns with our approach of first and foremost satisfying the golf public.”

When inspecting the property for the first time, Green said he “saw so many fun shots using the character and topography already there. And I thought we could do something special here, and don’t need bunkers. There will be plenty of interesting and engaging holes for strategy and ‘trouble’ without sand. Each shot is special; it’s not a course with a bunch of thoughtless swings. Giving something no one else has will excite golfers.”

Green, who is also engineering a makeover of Congressional Country Club’s famous Blue Course in preparation for major tournament play, has taken an environmentally friendly approach to Eisenhower’s classic layout by installing Bermudagrass fairways requiring less water and chemical inputs. His imprint features native fescue and strategic mounding for visual appeal and playing challenges, and bentgrass greens for true putts. Five sets of tees will range from 4,700 to 7,100 yards.

Additional improvements to the course, originally designed by Ed Ault, include an expanded driving range, new boardwalks, creek restoration, new irrigation with precise targeting for reduced water usage and new carts.

Green’s work at Inverness Club in Toledo, Ohio has won national restoration awards. He is also modernizing the East Course at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York in time for the 2023 PGA Championship.

Eisenhower enjoys longstanding designation as a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary by Audubon International. For more than a decade, it has maintained sound practices in environmental planning, wildlife and habitat management, outreach and education, chemical use reduction, water conservation and water quality management. The redesign will also increase wetlands by 13 acres.